The Power of Resilience and the Joy of Selfless Giving Priceless Humanitarian Work of Ms. Jones Manikonda during COVID Crisis
Ms. Jones Manikonda was born and brought up in Vijayawada, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh. Throughout her child, she demonstrated her innate quality of humanitarian work which continued as she grew.
A small message from a colleague amidst the heightened panic during the COVID crisis triggered the natural instinct of Ms. Jones Manikonda to help the migrant workers in whatever possible means. Challenging her own limitations, she reached out to more than 18000 people extending relief support during the peak crisis in April - August 2020. We at WASSAN, are fortunate and happy to have worked with Ms. Jones and impacting the lives of thousands of migrant workers.
Even a major accident at a mere age of 26 could not deter her courage. She started her career as a lecturer at Nova College at Vijayawada and later joined an NGO- Nava Jeevan Balabhavan which is working for the rights of the ‘young at risk’. After working for 4 years, she left for Johannesburg, South Africa to work in a software company owned by her brother. Within a year, she returned to India as the health of both her mother and one of her sisters took a setback. While taking care of them, Jones resumed her humanitarian work and is currently working with Dalit Bahujan Resource Centre (DBRC) in Guntur and Vijayawada districts of Andhra Pradesh where she works for the upliftment of the under-privileged communities.
Moved with a small message On the day when Ms. Jones received a message from Mr. Samuel Anil Kumar of Dalit Bahujan Resource Centre (DBRC) about the plight of the rag pickers, she could not fall asleep in the night! Without much ado, she set out the very next morning, visited homes of the rag pickers in Vijayawada and inquired about their condition. She started recording her visits and conversations and started streaming them on social media platforms. She could get instant response and support from the near and dear; many kind hearted people donated cash / kind for disbursement among the families in need of rag pickers. She was able to arrange provisions for over 400 rag picker families in the city with that initiative!
Supporting stranded migrants during Lock down On April 7th 2020, Jones received a message from Mr. Alladi Deva Kumar of DBRC to deliver groceries to a Hindi speaking migrant family. Unfamiliarity with the language made things difficult for her, but she overcame it with support from others. By taking support of few migrant workers living close to her home, she continued the work and distributed relief material to several migrant families in the city. She could reach large number of such migrant families in Vijayawada through extended supported by WASSAN. She also mobilized funds and other support from her family, friends and other kind donors. Relief kits were prepared with all the needed groceries purchased from JK Traders and were delivered to the affected families at designated locations. Often, it was extremely difficult for her to manage many things simultaneously that included relief work, coordination with donors, taking required photos, signature, settling bills etc. Undeterred, she continued supporting daily labourers, 100 transgender persons, and migration workers. After learning about her relief work, community contribution started pouring in. Ms. Jasti, Ms. Sreelaxmi and a team of volunteers mobilized support and pooled in necessary supplies for distribution that received the support of many including NRI’s. Watershed Support Services and Activities Network
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Ms. Jonas house is located just a km away from the highway, which helped to serve many migrants passing by her place. She had to go around about 5-6 times a day, take a shower and sanitize all her belongings every time she returns home. Being allergic to dust and wearing a mask all day left her throat dry and sneezing which deteriorated her health condition. Neighbors were petrified as she was going around while everyone in the neighborhood are staying indoors. Few neighbors went on to give an ultimatum, warned her house will be ceased and a complaint will be filed against her at the community welfare center. As she had been left physically challenged following the accident earlier in life, she could hardly manage to carry her own weight. The relief work demands carrying kits weighing tens of kilograms but the determined Jones never backed off.
The Plight of Migrants, the Risks, Dodging Cops and Prosecution Ms. Jones was extremely upset by the plight of kids, elderly people, woman Even a mother’s lap is not a safe place to nap and specially pregnant woman of the migrant families affected by the Covid– on a highway 19 lockdown. She recalls watching a pregnant lady shuffling and hobbling a few meters with great difficulty, sobbing and wincing in pain. In another case, it was a plight of a woman who delivered a child just a day ago. Both the mother and infant were left with no choice but to embark the long arduous journey to their native place on foot. Ms. Jones immediately arranged for a pickup that was taking the ferry migrants to their native places. Jones was left distraught witnessing an incident when a family left behind the body of a deceased family member & moved on as they had no choice but to continue their journey back home. There were many such women and kids walking for days, without proper food, water, footwear and shelter at night as many of the migrant families were totally unprepared for this abrupt disaster. Jones collected footwear, clothes, fruits etc., from donors & distributed them along with the dry ration to such people. She recounts, on 27th April, a couple of men arrived at the bus shelter and collapsed from exhaustion. She immediately arranged 5-6 trucks to ferry such migrants back to their native places. Jones and her team tried negotiating with the middlemen to minimize the travel fare but received flak from drivers and was warned not to interfere. There were instances when the team has provided bus tickets for people whenever possible.
The relief work included an array of things from supplying groceries, cooked meals, sanitizers, health and hygiene products for woman, cash, train and bus tickets, medicines, fruits, water packets, footwear, old clothes and also pickup and drop services for migrants (old people, children and woman) on two wheelers, to their native places…
While extending support, Jones and her team faced wrath of neighbors, police and sometimes even from agitated migrants. . A few times the team faced wrath of the belligerent migrants, shooed away by the cops few upset individuals yelled at her and one agitated person even picked up a rock to hit her. Often, it was necessary for Jones and the team to conceal the bus stop being used as the makeshift relief center and avoid both the cops and press to continue the relief work. Many such migrant families who got some support from Jones called her immediately after they reached their homes and expressed their gratitude. For Jones, the happiest thing was that none of the migrants, who got her support, tested COVID positive. All that she says now is that it was a phobia and misconception that migrants spread COVID. Though the team interacted with many people from April to September 2020, they haven’t witnessed a single COVID case. Jones says that association with WASSAN in this noble initiative helped her establish lifelong relationships with many migrant families.
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One day, I went home crying when the children who were walking for days in that scorching summer said, “Mam, you need it more than us”, when they were offered Stroll to cover their heads... Mr. Paul, son of her ex-colleague supported her in the relief work from day one…He supported her by accompanying whenever and wherever she went. He raised funds through WhatsApp status and groups. He could expend approximately Rs 10 lakhs towards the relief work, through his Church and Yesupadam Society. He spent his personal money, time and resources. There was a day when he could not have even Rs 80/- for petrol for his vehicle! That night he parked his vehicle there and left walking 5 kms to attend his lonely mother.
A woman migrant with her months old baby travelling on foot to her native village in the hot summer month of April 2020
Once, a 22 year old young man asked for water in a shivering voice, carrying heavy luggage over his head. All that I could do is to give him Rs 100/, though I know it is not going to quench his thirst. I went home, but could not sleep peacefully. Immediately returned to the highway at that night with drinking water to serve the homeward bound migrants...
Words of Praise for Jones “…Miss Jones has helped us with transportation to travel back to our home state. We really thank her for the help she extended not only to us but also many like us, who belonged to various states..” - Darshan and Gopi, Chhattisgarh
“During the lockdown time, we were struggling as migrants working away from home. Jones and WASSAN’s support helped us to feel that we were not let behind. We felt so comfortable and secure with such help…”
“..By seeing her passion to help people especially during pandemic crisis, when people are scared to come close to each other, I feel as if she symbolizes Mother Teresa”
- Anku Singh, Jharkhand
- Subramanyam, Vijayawada
Watershed Support Services and Activities Network (WASSAN) Plot No. 685 & 686, Road No. 12, Lakshmi Narasimha Colony, Nagole, Hyderabad—500 068 Tel.No. (040) 29555295 / 96 | Email: mail@wassan.org | Website: www.wassan.org
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